Meat-tendering machine



Nov. 19, 1940. y T. M. COFFEL-r l 2,222,477

MEAT-TENDERING MACHINE Filed Nov. e, 1939 J5 lNvENToR ATTORNEY i Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNHTED STATES PATENT @FFME MEAT- TENDER/ING MACHINE Application November 6, 1939, Serial No. 303,034

l Claim.

My present invention relates to manually operated meat tendering machines and more particularly to the type employing a rotatable series of parallel circular knives against which the meat is slid.

Ihe principal object of this invention is to provide a machine of the character mentioned, of novel and improved construction, for crisscross slitting a meat slice the major portion oi its thickness.

A further object is to provide a novel and improved machine of the type described, including a meat-carrying turn table capable at but one position thereof to be limitedly rotatably shifted, and at all others of its positions with regard to the knives being maintained against rotation.

A further object hereof is to provide a novel and improved meat tendering machine which is of simple and cheap construction, easy to clean, positive in action, and efficient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects will become manifest as this disclosure proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. l is a plan of a machine embodying the teachings of this invention, showing the turn table in one of its positions, prepared to be slid so that the meat be subjected to a slitting operation.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, partly fragmentary, wherein the hood covering the knives and the stripper member are removed, and the turn table has been rotatably shifted a quarter turn, ready to be slid past the knives so that the meat shall be slitted in a transverse direction with respect to the initial operation effected by the arrangement of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken at line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken at line 5 5 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of a slice o-f meat after treatment by this machine, showing the two intersecting sets of parallel slits cut into said slice.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a stripper employed in this contrivance.

Fig. 8 is an end view of the knife hood..

Fig. 9 is a side view of the knife hood shown in Fig. 8.

In the drawing, the numeral l5 indicates generally a cast frame, the walls l@ and Il of which support the ends of a pair of rods i8 spaced in parallel relation to serve as a track for the block E9 carrying a turn table Ztl. An elongated sub- 5 stantially U shaped rod member 2 l, whose parallel arms 2?. are slidably mounted through the front wall SB, and secured at their ends to the block i9, serves as a handle means whereby the turn table 2d, provided with upwardly extending 10 prongs 23 to maintain a meat slice 24 thereon, can be slid to and fro along the track rods I8, past and slightly beneath a series of parallel spaced circular'knives 25 on a rotatable shaft 25 provided with handle 2l', which shaft is re 15 movably mounted across the upwardly extending side walls of the frame l5, each of which presents a shaft seat 28 intermediate the front and rear ends of the frame l5.

A hood 29 for covering the knives 25 has com- 20 plementary shaft seats il@ in its side walls to form pillow block constructions for journalling the shaft 26 across the side walls of the frame l5. This hood is demountably secured to the frame l5 by means of the screws 3l whose shanks 25 sit within the slots 32, and whose heads venter the counterbores 33 respectively, to maintain the assembly. A stripper member 34 having a series of parallel slots 35 and formed as at 36 whereby it may sit over the shaft 2S, is maintained secure 30 in the set-up, for its upturned ends 31 rest against the seats 3S recessed on the interior of the hood' 29.

The turn table 20 is substantially square, of a dimension presenting a slight clearance when be- 35 tween the sidewalls 3S of the frame I5, which walls serve as a track therefor. 'Ihe length of the frame is sucient to allow said turn table to be slid to lie wholly before and then wholly beyond the knives 25; the front and rear Walls I6 40 and l1 of the fram-e, acting as stops to limit the movement of the block i9.

commencing a little to one side of the line of the shaft 25, the side wall portions 39' of the frame l 5 are and extend lower than the underside of the 45, turn table 2t, that is, for the distance A. However, at the limit of travel of the turn table 2li in this direction, it is important to note that its inner edge 20 still extends between the frames side walls 39, which are and extend higher than 50 the underside of the turn table 2t, that is, for the distance B. With the turn table in such position, it is now noted that one pair of diagonally opposite corners of said table are eitherl chamfered or rounded as at 40 and 40', to clear the 55 side edges 4I and 4| of the track Walls 39, while corner 42 is incapable so to clear, upon manual rotation of the turn table 20 about its axis 43.

The coplanar, spaced, horizontal, strengthening ribs 44, extending inwardly from the side walls 39 respectively, also serve to conceal the rods I8 and 22, and most of the slidable block I9, thus enhancing the appearance of the device.

In operation, with the initial set-up of the device as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the slice of meat `24 placed on the turn table 2U is maintained thereon by means of the prongs 23, and the turn table 20 is in line to enter its track comprising the walls 39, because corner 42 is against one of these walls. 'Ihe operator now simultaneously turns the crank handle 21 in a clockwise direction and pulls the handle 2l forward, until the block I9 is stopped by the Wall i6. At this time, the meat slice 24 has been slit a portion of its thickness by action of the knives 25, along a series of lines 45 parallel With the line of motion of'theV turn table Zil. Ihe handle 2| is now pushed back to its initial position as in Fig. l; that is, until the block i8 is stopped by [the Wall Il. Now the turn table 20 is manually shifted in ra clockwise direction about its axis 43. All it can move is a quarter turn to the position shown in Fig. 3 because corner 42 cannot clear the sid-e edge 4I of the opposite track wall 39. Simultaneous rotation of the knives 25 and forward movement of the table 2li, is now repeated, whereupon the meat slice 24 is slit along a series of parallel lines 46 which are at right anglesl to the first series of slits 45. The meat slice 24 is now removed from the turn table ready for broiling or other cookery process. It is evident that anotherslice of meat may no-w be mounted on the turntable 20, to be treated in like manner as l was described for .the previous slice 24, except that the turntable 20 is now free to be moved a quarter turn in a counter-clockwise direction after the rst slitting operation and before said latter meat slice is subjected to the second slitting operation.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It `is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein be deemed illustrative and not restrictive, and that the patent shall cover whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed; reference being had to the app-ended claim rather than to the specic description herein to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

In a meat tendering machine, a frame, a substantially square, meat-holding turn table having a pair of diagonally opposite chamfered corners, reciprocatably mounted on the frame, a pair of parallel guide members carried by the frame, positioned at opposite sides of the turn table', adapted to maintain the turn table against rotation, the turn table being slidable on the frame to a position almost out from between said guide members; the chamfered corners of' the turn table at such position of the turn table, being free to clear the guide members, whereby the turn table may be rotated a quarter turn and back a quarter turn, and a shaft carrying a series of knives, journalled on the frame transverse the direction of motion of the turn table, said knives extending towards the plane of movement of the turn table, in theregion of the guide members.

T. M. COFFELT. 

